The invention relates in general to protective shields and in particular to shields for protection from ballistic threats.
Some mounted machine guns and artillery pieces may be equipped with metal armor plates to protect the gunners from sniper fire and shrapnel from explosions. Some gun shields may be improvised in the field using salvaged metal plates. In the Vietnam War, the crews of some armored fighting vehicles and PT Boats would affix metal plates to their machine guns. After the Vietnam War, gun shields fell out of widespread use.
Modern battlegrounds are filled with weapon fire. The weapon fire presents a grave risk to soldiers who expose themselves to fire upon the enemy. The weapon fire may include incoming fire from elevated, precision-fire weapons, and ground-born threats, such as mines and improvised explosive devices. In particular, many casualties are hit in areas not protected by body armor or helmets, such as the neck or face. A disadvantage of gun shields is that they may limit the visibility of the user to the front. In the case of vehicle-mounted guns, gun shields may also adversely affect the performance of tasks other than firing a gun.
Military tanks, such as the Abrams tank, may include a turret with one or more hatches. On the Abrams tank, one of the turret hatches is located at the loader's weapon station. Mounted adjacent the loader's hatch may be a weapon, such as a 7.62 mm rifle. The weapon may be mounted with a skate mount. When using the loader's weapon, the weapon user may be vulnerable to enemy fire. A need exists for a protective shield for the operator of the weapon at the loader's station.